i. John 3:16, Jesus faith love), The Whole Bible ii. He was touching upon matters of the most vital importance, and her depraved heart naturally shrunk from the lancet, From the truth which was becoming inconveniently personal she flew to that natural resort of the carnal mind, namely, to religions discourse upon points of outward observance. If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: By this crucial measure, Jesus said the world could measure our status as disciples by the measure of our love for one another. f. For our sins: This shows the love of God. a. Our love for God is always in response to His love for us; He initiates, and we respond. ( 1 John 4:7-8) The call to love. We need to discover the true Jesus behind the myths of the Bible.. The way to be saved for man, woman, or child is to trust Jesus for the pardon of sin, and then, trusting Jesus, love comes as a fruit. It comes from Him. Johannine Writings i. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. If love is of God, then those who claim to be born of God, and claim to know God, must be able to love one another in the body of Christ. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a In this wrong thinking, many imagine they prefer the nice and loving Jesus instead. (1 John 4:20-21) The commandment to love. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: The child of God need not fear the spirit of Antichrist, even though they should be warned of it, because they have the indwelling Spirit of God (1 John 3:24). The Bible says that one day, all of humanity will gather before Gods Great White Throne and face judgment. To feel Gods love is very precious, but to believe it when you do not feel it, is the noblest. (Spurgeon). But John can only be talking about the apostles and their authoritative revelation in the Bible when he says us. i. Pauline Epistles The Gospels We can know by experience that we live in God, if His love has been perfected in us. Commentary on John 4:1-3. Major Prophets In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. He first loved us: This verse not only declares our love for Jesus, it also tells us when He loved us. Series Recaps April 17, 2023 'Queenmaker' Episodes 5 & 6: Recap & Ending, Explained: Did Do-Hee Find Who Had A Hand In Her Father's Death? d. Love is of God: The love John speaks of comes from the ancient Greek word agape; it is the concept of a self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting re-payment it is the God-kind of love. The Gospels a. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world: The believer has a resource for victory, the vital presence of the indwelling Jesus, which makes victory always possible if we will rely on He who is in you instead of relying on ourselves. They knew the Father sent the Son as Savior of the world. Everything God does, in one way or another, expresses His love. g. God is love: There are few people who really know and really believe that God is love. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN. a. d. Boldness in the day of judgment: How can anyone have such boldness? We love Him: In this great statement, John begins by declaring the heart of every true follower of Jesus Christ. Faith alone occupies that place. (Spurgeon). We never have to draw God to us; instead, He draws us to Himself. Major Prophets We love him because we find he has loved us. We know all the judgment we ever deserved past, present, and future was poured out on Jesus Christ on the cross. She also mentioned that Jeong-Suk's skin was . 2. Sometimes Jesus seemed weak and lacking in power, but He was always full of love. No one who presents a false Jesus, or one untrue to the Scriptures, can be regarded as a true prophet. (1 John 4:5-6) The contrast between those in the world and those who are of God. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. 1. b. It is something that every Christian should be unafraid to proclaim: I love Him; I love Jesus. Can you say that? 1. Ex-Broncos teammate Terrell Davis welcomes John Elway escaping the spotlight: 'Enjoy it, big man'. Jesus declared of God the Father, God is Spirit, (John 4:24) meaning that God the Father has no tangible body which may be seen. Love believed is the mother of love returned. (Spurgeon), ii. The reason for discernment: Discernment is essential because Satan and his forces are at work in the world (4:1). Former NFL player Terrell Davis, center, poses with a bust of himself and form Denver Bronco teammates: from left, John Elway, Willie Brown, Shannon Sharpe, Gary Zimmerman, during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday . f. For God is love: This is a glorious truth. Instead, they are thinking of a squishy, namby-pamby, have-a-nice-day kind of love that values being nice more than wanting what is really best for the other person. Passwords should have at least 6 characters. We are therefore commanded to love our brother in Christ. iii. One may know the Word, may never miss a service, may pray fervently, and may demonstrate gifts of the Spirit. of Scripture. It would have been far more than we deserved. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. c. We love Him because He first loved us: This verse tells us where our love for Jesus comes from. Certainly, this glory is in us now just in seed form; it has not yet fully developed into what it will be. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Explained: Does John Weir Contact His Team? 'Rabbit Hole' Episode 5 Ending Explained: What Happened To John's Team? To believe in Christ and to love the brethren are not conditions by which we may dwell in God but rather are evidences of the fact that God has already taken possession of our lives to make this possible. (Boice). We are therefore commanded to love our brother in Christ. God continues to show us love through Jesus' life-giving presence among us. Luke-Acts Oh sir, this is indeed a cowardly fear! (Spurgeon), iv. Some of us, for whatever reason, have come to think of God the Father as aloof and mean, perhaps the so-called angry God of the Old Testament. Minor Prophets Verse- by-Verse Bible Commentary1 John 4. Verse 1 John 4:2. He cannot hate, because he is love. The thrust of these verses is not so much her conversion but that Jesus is Messiah (verse 26). As much as we can know the completeness of Gods love now, we will know it all the more in the day of judgment. That God has sent His only begotten Son into the world: John is careful to call Jesus the only begotten Son. ii. We love him from a sense of obligation and gratitude. In the day of judgment: This is when the completeness of loves work in us will be demonstrated. Three words. i. Love believed is the mother of love returned. (Spurgeon), ii. What about the many passages of Scripture, Old and New Testament (such as Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 1 Peter 2:17), which tell us we should fear God? John does not think it is enough if a person has some kind of love in his life if he does not confess that Jesus is the Son of God. We watched it. But how can I love a God who is invisible? God would say to us, Learn to love Me, Whom you cannot see, by loving My children, whom you can see.. Pentateuch These academics present their baseless opinions as if they were scholarly facts. Oh, but I am the offended party. So was God, and he went straight away and sought reconciliation. These are those that acknowledge Jesus Christ's real incarnation. 1. Charles Spurgeon was a man who preached the whole counsel of Gods word, andwas careful to not excessively repeat himself in any one area. e. Everyone who loves is born of God He who does not love does not know God: This does not mean that every display of love in the world can only come from a Christian. She ultimately collapsed on the floor of the store, and when she woke up, she found out that she was in the emergency room of the hospital. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. Spiritually, we can have that same standing now, while we are in the world, because as He is, so are we in the world. God made love real and present by sending Jesus to live among us and to die for us. Some respond with doubt (Can God really love even me?). GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point It is a true gift from God. Though it may not be perfected, it must be present and it should be growing. John Chapter 4. God gave His Son to die, and to die for sinners. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. We should consider what would it take to make us stop believing God loves us. We cant love God the way we should unless we are receiving and living in His love. Sometimes Jesus wasnt popular at all, but He was always full of love. We love him because we find he has loved us. Now remember, we never make ourselves love Christ more by flogging ourselves for not loving him more. Verses 1-26: The story of the Samaritan woman reinforces John's main theme that Jesus is the Messiah and son of God. He is beyond us. Major Prophets ii. Historical Books We love him from the influence of his own love; from his love shed abroad in our hearts our love to him proceeds. Of course, this love is not perfected in the life of a Christian on this side of eternity. He presented the world not as the global earth or the mass of humanity, which God Himself loves (John 3:16). God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God Ways to Follow . Just so, God puts His love into our lives that it might flow out. But John rightly insists that our claim of loving God is false if we do not also love our brother, and that this love must be seen. Do we live through Him? God rightly regarded us, apart from Him, as worthy targets of His judgment. Some very educated, very smart people can still be influenced mightily by the spirit of error. The principle of presenting a true Jesus is essential to the testing of spirits. A worldly attitude listens to unbelievers and ungodly spirits, and ignores God. This understanding gives great confidence and spiritual power. Charles Spurgeon was a man who preached the whole counsel of Gods Word, and was careful to not excessively repeat himself in any one area. 1 John 4. d. He who is not of God does not hear us: Understanding just who hears what God has taught us through the apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, helps us to know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. It is up to us to respond to His command with our will and whole being. His love for us initiates our relationship of love with Him, our love only responds to His love for us. We keep in the spirit of truth by clinging to Jesus, the One who said I am the truth (John 14:6). But the Father loves us too; and the love Jesus showed in His ministry was the same love God the Father has towards us. Today, there is a lot of curiosity about the true Jesus. Many modern academics say they want to discover the true Jesus and when they say this they often mean, The true Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. It is because men are created in the image of God, an image that has been defaced but not destroyed by the Fall, that they still have the capacity to love Human love, however noble and however highly motivated, falls short if it refuses to include the Father and Son as the supreme objects of its affection. (Marshall). If we love one another, God abides in us: This is the greatest evidence of Gods presence and work among us love. This, with what follows, is said for the comfort of the saints, and to deliver them from the fears of being drawn aside by the delusions of the false prophets, and antichrists; since they belonged to God, were his elect, and therefore could not be finally and totally seduced; they were the children of God by adopting grace, and could not become Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed That indwelling Spirit is greater than he who is in the world Satan and all of his allies. Jesus has a definite direction toward which he influences this dialogue between himself and the Samaritan woman. Every human relationship is like a triangle. i. c. He who knows God hears us: Those who are of God enjoy fellowship with other believers; they speak the common language of fellowship with God and with each other, because one flows from the other (1 John 1:3). God is love, and because we are made in God's image, we are to love God and love our brothers and sisters. Prophets You may know something without being in agreement with it; God demands our true agreement. Many Gnostic-influenced teachers said that Jesus, being God, could not have actually become a flesh and blood human being, because God could have no partnership with impure material stuff. Yet, if we abide in Him, and He in us (1 John 4:13), then our identity is bound up in Jesus: as He is, so are we in the world. ii. General Epistles The law of God is love; and all would have been perfectly happy, had all obeyed it. The New Testament Poetical Books i. in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. They are of the world: Those who are of the world are evident because they speak as of the world; the influence of the world is evident in their speech. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Do you believe it? Some people imagine that Jesus loved us because He knew we would love Him and come to faith in Him. Once any academic throws out the historical evidence of the New Testament and other reliable ancient writings, they can only base their understanding of Jesus on their own personal opinion. b. ii. Yet, he preached five remarkable sermons on these eight words alone. Paul knew that nothing could separate him from the love of God that was in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:35-39), and each Christian should have the same confidence. Commentary on 1 John 4:7-13. Brother, do the same. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Christians are not just forgiven they are born anew by Gods Spirit. (1 John 4:19) The reason for our love to Jesus. We have many spiritual enemies, but not one of them is greater than Jesus who lives in us. He is glorified, justified, forever righteous and bold, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Faith alone occupies that place. (Spurgeon). We touched it with our hands. The following comments draw much from Spurgeons work on this single verse. No one has seen God at any time: John relates a basic principle about God the Father that no one, no one, has seen God at any time. Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. ii. You can also change some of your preferences. We come to love those better whom we love by knowing them better If you want to love Christ more, think more of him, think more of what you have received from him. (Spurgeon), e. He first loved us: This means that it is true that He loves us now. Thank you for registering. a. We love him from a sense of obligation and gratitude. Again, the true measure of maturity is not the image of power, or popularity, or passionate feelings but the abiding presence of Gods love in our lives, given out to others. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. a. i. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. How is Jesus now? Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. Being born of God and abiding with Him give us the ability to love; but it is a choice of our will to draw upon that resource and give it out to others. Are you embarrassed to say it? f. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love: If our relationship with God is marked by this tormenting fear, it shows that we have not been made perfect that is, complete, and mature in His love. This language of fellowship transcends language, culture, class, race, or any other barrier. i. Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. b. This is about the Word of life. How can a decree of absolute, unconditional reprobation, of the greater part or any part of the human race, stand in the presence of such a text as this? (Clarke), iii. Minor Prophets Do you believe it? 3. In the Beginning Was the Word (John 1:1-18) I Have Called You Friends (John 1:35-51, John 15:15) Water Into Wine at the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11) Jesus Teaches Nicodemus (John 3:1-21) Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4) Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (John 5) Jesus the Bread of Life (John 6) Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9) 3. 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. It is a positive statement, not a wishful hope. ii. 1 John 4 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. You can check these in your browser security settings. JOHN 4:1-3 1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again for Galilee. iii. e. There is no fear in love: The completeness of love means we do not cower in fear before God, dreading His judgment, either now or in the day of judgment. 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